Open your door, welcome the King, life radiant, walk in the Light

    

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Sing a song to praise God (you are welcome to use "Father, I adore you" which I have been singing every morning for the past 20 years or your own choice to praise God)

          Father, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Jesus, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

          Spirit, I adore You, lay my life before You, how I love You.

      

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

(Please click this link to see how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

    

    The link to today's Time with Abba passages:   http://api.pastoralcareschool.org/twa/

    Time with Abba passages: (Psalm 24:7-10, Exodus 34:1-35:9; Matthew 27:15-31; Proverbs 9:1-6)

    Today's key passage:

     Lift up your heads, you gates;

    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

       Psalm 24:7-10

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to him. 

   

     My Listening

    The topic I received from Jesus is: Open your door, welcome the King, life radiant, walk in the Light

     Today's four passages give me lots of inspiration, insight:

     1. Psalm 24:7-10

         An invitation for us to open the door of our hearts to welcome the King of glory, to allow the Lord who is strong and mighty to control every bit of our lives. Just as the topic I received yesterday "God with us distinguish us from other people". The only way for you to be distinguished from other people is God's presence in you, no other way:  

Lift up your heads, you gates;
    be lifted up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.

     Who is this King of glory?

    The Lord strong and mighty,
    the Lord mighty in battle.

     Lift up your heads, you gates;

    lift them up, you ancient doors,
    that the King of glory may come in.

Who is he, this King of glory?
    The Lord Almighty—
    he is the King of glory.

                                               Psalm 24:7-10

    2.  Exodus 34:1-5, 28-30, 35

          When you ask,"What do you mean by opening the door of my heart? I received Jesus as my Saviour and Lord long time ago, baptized long time ago and has been serving in the church long time ago. So, does it mean I'm OK?"

           You can take a look at Moses' example in Exodus 34:1-5, 28-30, 35:1 and you know that is a classic example of opening the door of the heart to allow God to be the King to speak and to command: 

             a. What    To chisel out two stone tablets again再預備二塊石版  

             b. When   Tomorrow morning

             c. Where  Mount Sinai

             d. Who    Only Moses

             e. What's the difference after mission completed     Moses' face was radiant

             f.  What after         The Israelites humbled and obeyed Moses

        The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones,and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain.”

4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord.      Exodus 34:1-5

28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. 

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.      Exodus 34:28-30

Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do:                Exodus 35:1

    3.  Matthew 27:29

         In Exodus, when those Israelites saw those signs and wonders, they humbled themselves and obeyed Moses.

         But, in Jesus' situation, the Israelites did not understand the meaning of the Cross and they did not think they had seen any signs and wonders from Jesus. Their response is not to believe, close the door of their hearts and to reject Jesus as King! Even killed him!

         How about you? 

4.  Proverbs 9:1-6

               As we know, wisdom in Proverbs represents the Holy Spirit. So, today's passage tells us that the Holy Spirit has prepared for everything for us. You open the door of your heart to welcome Jesus in your home, then, He will lead you in His home and "you will live, walk in the way of insight". 

          Yes, just as Moses, our faces will shine and radiant, not like many people always with "dark" faces! The Holy Spirit will lead you to walk with the Lord. Jesus is the Light of the world, so you will be walking in the Light, receive life and insight! 

        Wisdom has built her house;

    she has set up its seven pillars.

       She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;

    she has also set her table.

 She has sent out her servants, and she calls

    from the highest point of the city,

“Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,

“Come, eat my food
    and drink the wine I have mixed.

Leave your simple ways and you will live;
    walk in the way of insight.”       Proverbs 9:1-6

       

     

    Dear Holy Spirit, 

Lead us to walk with the Lord each day. Jesus is the Light of the world, help us to open the door of our hearts so that we can walk in the Light everyday to receive life and insight.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen.   

      Reflect on these questions:

     1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

      

      2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus?

    

      Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

     

Please click this link for the video version of this blog: 

   https://youtu.be/hlJp9RSH7X8  

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link: https://www.pastoralcareschool.org